Nectarine tree cv. Sunectnineteen

ABSTRACT

A nectarine tree characterized by its large fruit, ripening two weeks ahead of the &#34;Red Jim&#34; nectarine and its brighter, smoother red blush than &#34;Red Jim&#34; and other nectarines ripening in the same general time frame.

This invention relates to the discovery and asexual propagation of a newvariety of hybrid nectarine tree, Prunus persica cv. Sunectnineteen. Thetree is a late ripening nectarine with a bright red blush and iscultivated for the fresh fruit market. It was discovered and asexuallypropagated by John H. Weinberger near Fresno, Calif., and has as itsseed parent Sunecteight (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,894) and fertilizationwas accomplished by open pollination. The selected open pollinatedseedling was asexually propagated by budding.

The new variety cv. Sunectnineteen may be distinguished from otherpresently commercially significant nectarine cultivars that ripen atabout the same time by the following combination of characteristics:Sunectnineteen ripens approximately two weeks earlier than the Red Jimnectarine (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,518). It also possesses a brighter,smoother red blush than Red Jim and other nectarines that ripen duringthe same general time frame.

Among the characteristics which distinguish the new variety of nectarinetree from its seed parent are the following: the fruit of theSunectnineteen variety ripens about one month later than its seedparent. The fruit of Sunectnineteen displays a superior red blush, isrounder and more symmetrical in shape than Sunecteight.

The pollen parent of the new variety is unknown.

The above enumerated distinguishing characteristics are held throughsucceeding asexual propagations, for example by grafting.

In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates, in full color, atypical stem and mature leaves of the new nectarine tree and the ripefruit as viewed from the stem end and in profile. The drawing alsoillustrates the fruit sectioned in half from end to end, one of thefruit sections is shown with the stone in place in the flesh and theother section is shown with the stone removed from the flesh.

FIG. 2 illustrates the Malate dehydrogenase banding patterns of theSunecteight and Sunectnineteen varieties after starch gelelectrophoresis.

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small lettersignify that the name of that color, as used in common speech, is aptlydescriptive. Color names with capital letters designate values basedupon the R.H.S. Colour Chart, published by The Royal HorticulturalSociety, London, England.

The descriptive matter which follows pertains to the new nectarinevariety budded to Nemared rootstock and grown in the vicinity of Wasco,Kern County, Calif. and is believed to apply to plants of the varietygrown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere.

TREE

The tree is of medium size and medium vigor. It is semi-upright inhabit. The foliage is dense. The trees are hardy, regular bearers andproductive.

The trunk is of medium thickness and the bark medium in texture. Thebranches are medium in caliper, have a smooth surface texture and givesa semi-glossy surface appearance. There are numerous medium-sizedlenticels.

LEAVES

In general, leaves are of medium size, having an average length of about13.1 cm. and an average width of about 2.6 cm. Leaves are lanceolate inoutline and upfolded in profile. Leaf blade tips curve downwardly at anacute angle. The serrate leaf margins undulate slightly. The leaf apexis cuspidate; the leaf base is V-shaped. Leaves are thin in thickness.Leaf color on the upper surface is about Yellow-Green 146B. The upperleaf surface is smooth, with no pubescence and weakly glossy, giving adull surface appearance. The lower leaf surface is about Yellow-Green146D in color, weakly glossy and no pubescence is present. The lowerleaf surface is smooth in texture and has a dull appearance.

The petiole is of medium length and medium thickness. There are usuallytwo small sized glands that are globose in shape oppositely positionedon the leaf base. Glands are about Yellow-Green 151B in color. Stipulesare deciduous.

Wood (leaf) buds are medium in size and conical in shape. The position,relative to the shoot, is slightly held out, their support is of mediumsize and not decurrent. The time of bud burst is medium.

On flowering shoots, anthocyanin of medium intensity is present. Theshoots are of medium thickness, have a medium internode length with amedium density of buds on one year old shoots.

FLOWERS

Flower buds are, in general, hardy, of medium size and length, plump inshape and freely positioned. Pubescence is absent and the flowers areabout Grayed-Orange 165A in color.

Flowers attain full bloom in medium time--on the average (in 1990 thiswas about March 8) in the vicinity of Wasco, Calif. Blooms have aduration of about 10 days. The fully opened flower is large insize--about 4.7 cm., rosaceous in shape and the petals are overlapping.The fully opened flowers are Red-Purple 65C in color.

The peduncle is of short length, medium thickness and pubescence isabsent.

The receptacle is of medium depth. Pubescence is absent on the innersurface at white bud stage. The outer surface exhibits some pubescence.

Sepals are adpressed to petals, ovate in shape and pubescence is absenton the inner surfaces and present on outer surfaces.

None of the flowers has exhibited double sepals.

Petals are large in size (about 2.2 cm. in width) elliptical in shape,have a short claw length, medium wavy margins and a medium base angle.The division of the upper margins is entire and pubescence is absent onboth inner and outer surfaces and both surfaces are Red-Purple 65C incolor.

The stigma is positioned above the anthers and are about Orange 25C justbefore dehiscence.

Pollen is about Yellow-Orange 14D.

Stamens are perigynously positioned.

Pistils: there is always at least one.

Pubescence is absent in ovaries and styles.

FRUIT

The fruit, as described, was eating ripe. The size of the fruit of thatstage of its development is large but slightly variable in size, havingan axial diameter of about 7.25 cm. and a transverse diameter in thesuture plane of about 7 cm. At right angles to the suture plane, themeasurement is about 6.75 cm., i.e., a slightly variable, unsymmetricalgenerally oblong shape. The position of the maximum diameter is towardsthe middle. The fruit is asymmetric about the suture line. Fruit ripenslate in the season and is eating ripe about July 29th.

The suture is distinct but shallow and has a slightly noticeabledepression beyond the pistil point. The ventral surface is slightlyrounded, lipped towards the apex and with unequal lips. The pistil baseis persisting. There is no pubescence at the apex.

The stem cavity is abrupt and circular in shape. The depth of the cavityis about 1.5 cm., and its width about 2.6 cm. No markings are present.The base of the fruit is rounded and its apex is depressed in shape. Thepistil point is apical in shape.

The stem is of medium length (about 0.9 cm.), and glabrous and adheresstrongly to the stone.

The skin, which is of medium thickness and of medium texture and istenacious to the flesh. Roughness and reticulation are absent. The skinshows no tendency to crack during the dry season. Skin color is aboutRed 46A. Down is wanting and a bloom is absent.

The color of the flesh is about Yellow-Orange 16B. The surfacesurrounding the pit cavity and going into flesh from pit about 4 cm. isabout Red-Purple 59A in color. The amygdalin is wanting and juice ismoderate. The flesh has a medium sugar content. Flesh is firm, fine andcrisp in texture. Fibers are few in number, fine and tender. Fruitripens evenly first at apex and produces fruit of good eating quality.The flavor is sub-acid and delicate. Aroma is wanting. The stone/fleshratio is about 9.6/118 grams.

The stone clings adhering to flesh over its entire surface. Fibers ofthe stone are long. The stone is of medium size about 3.6 cm. in lengthand about 2.6 cm. in breadth. The width at the stalk end of the stone isabout 0.4 cm. and about 2.3 cm. in thickness. The form of the stone inprofile is generally obovoid. The form in ventral view is sub-globular.The stone's base is straight. Its apex is nearly rounded and slightlyflattened on the left side. The hilum is narrow. The position of thestone's maximum breadth is toward the pistil end and the sides areslightly unequal. The surface of the stone is regularly furrowed nearbase and has elongated pits from base to above center. There is nooutgrowing keel. The ridges are rounded. The ventral stone edge is thickand does not have wings. The dorsal stone edge has medium shallow,narrow grooves; ridges are continuous on both sides. The color of thestone is about Grayed-Orange 176A. The stone does not tend to splitduring the dry season.

In addition to the foregoing biological and morphological descriptionand to provide a further basis for distinguishing the Sunectnineteenvariety from its seed parent, Sunecteight, the variety has been analyzedto obtain an indication of its genetic make-up. Specifically, fruit ofthe Sunecteight and Sunectnineteen varieties was electrophoreticallyanalyzed on starch gel using the staining and electroporetic procedurethat was set out in Bruce D. Mowery et al., Inheritance of IsocitrateDehydrogenase, Malate Dehydrogenase, and Shikimate Dehydrogenase inPeach and Peach×Almond Hybrids, J. American Hort. Soc. 115 (2): 312-319(1990). Malate dehydropenase staining was performed using aMorpholine-citrate pH 6.1 system. The isoenzyme separation and bandingpatterns for Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) are srikingly different for theSunecteight and the Sunectnineteen varieties. The banding pattern ofNuectnineteen in FIG. 2 is quite rare and is present only in about 2% ofall peach and nectarine varieties.

The results of the electrophoretic analysis are set forth in Table 1below and illustrated in FIG. 2.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Malate Dehydrogenase                                                          Average migration                                                             in mm.        Sunecteight   Sunectnineteen                                    ______________________________________                                        33            H             H                                                 42            MH                                                              42.5                        M                                                 46            H                                                               50.5          MH                                                              56            H                                                               60            H                                                               71            H             H                                                 ______________________________________                                         (H = heavy staining, MH = medium heavy staining and M = medium staining) 

What is claimed is:
 1. A new variety of nectarine tree cv.Sunectnineteen as illustrated and described.